Many of us wonder how a couple of years of drought followed by heavy rains last winter might affect our water supply. Do variations in weather have an impact? Do you ever wonder where your water comes from? Worry about having enough? Wonder how we are going to balance supply with growing demand? Could Harpswell run out of water? Will sea-level rise cause saltwater intrusion that will wreck your well? Questions abound!
These and other concerns about the water supply in Harpswell arose during public meetings about updating the town’s comprehensive plan. The draft plan acknowledges that understanding and protecting our groundwater will be key to building a sustainable future for all.
The draft plan includes four goals related to groundwater: understand and protect groundwater resources to support the current and future needs of the community; understand and protect the health of surface water resources to support ecosystem and community health; understand and mitigate the impacts of climate change on water resources; and work with neighboring communities and regional organizations to protect shared resources.
Harpswell’s Conservation Commission is organizing a series of presentations, “Fractured Bedrock: Understanding Harpswell’s Water Supply,” to help us understand where we get our water, how it gets there, and how we tap into it. Most critically, the series will inform residents about how best to ensure rain and snow soaks into the ground in a way that makes it most available to us, and how to ensure an adequate water supply through conservation.
The first of these presentations will take place at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 11, at Harpswell Community School. For those who prefer to attend remotely, you can register by sending an email to conservation@town.harpswell.me.us. A link to the presentation will be sent shortly before it begins.
Jessica Meeks, hydrogeologist with the Maine Geological Survey, will provide the information you need to understand where our water originates and why supply varies. A Q&A session will follow her presentation.
Jessica Meeks completed her doctorate at the Université de Neuchâtel in Switzerland. Her dissertation assessed and modeled the impacts of climate change on groundwater renewal. Her research was done in collaboration with a United Nations project and contributed to a European Union-wide water assessment. Meeks also serves on the faculty of the University of Maine’s School of Earth and Climate Sciences. Topography matters and she can help you learn why!
Future series will cover how you can ensure the water that falls on your property stays around long enough to seep into the ground and fill your well, and how to conserve what you have to avoid running out of this key resource. Harpswell is fortunate to have a number of experts in town to help you learn about rain barrels, rain gardens, low-impact development, and how trees and shrubs play a key role in ensuring your access to water. Look for announcements about the next presentation in late October. Dates and locations will be announced in the Harpswell Anchor, on the town calendar and on posters in various locations.
